Where does blue mountain coffee get its name and how can buyers verify it?

Blue Mountain coffee comes from the high-altitude Blue Mountains in eastern Jamaica. When clear sunlight falls on the Caribbean Sea surrounding the range, the peaks reflect a blue glow, which is how the name arose. The main peak reaches 2,256 meters, the highest point in the Caribbean, and the region's volcanic soil and year-round mist suit the typica variety.

Jamaican coffee at this tier divides into Blue Mountain and High Mountain, and authentic lots carry three markers: a designated export company, barrel-packed green beans and an authorization certificate from the Jamaica Coffee Industry Board (CIB). Average annual rainfall is around 1,980 millimeters with temperatures near 27 degrees Celsius, and the coffee ranks second among the most expensive in the world, behind Kopi Luwak.

Why is Blue Mountain coffee named "Blue Mountain"? What makes it the second most expensive coffee in the world? This article begins with the geographical environment of Jamaica's Blue Mountain range, and traces the origin of the name Blue Mountain coffee, the conditions of its producing region, the advantages of the Typica variety and the washed process, the history of Japan's long-term monopoly of the market, and the certification system of the Jamaica Coffee Industry Board (CIB). At the same time, the article breaks down in detail how to identify borderline products on the market such as "Blue Mountain flavor" and "Blue Mountain blend," introduces the three major points for identifying authentic Blue Mountain coffee—designated export companies, barrel-packed green beans, and authorization certificates—and, combined with Front Street Coffee's selection examples, explains why Clifton Farm was chosen, as well as the current actual price range of Blue Mountain coffee, helping coffee lovers buy genuine Jamaican Blue Mountain.

The Origin Background of Blue Mountain Coffee

So-called Blue Mountain coffee refers to coffee made from coffee beans produced in the high-altitude areas of Jamaica's Blue Mountains. By quality tier, it can further be divided into two categories: Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee and Jamaican High Mountain coffee. The Blue Mountain range is located in the eastern part of the island of Jamaica. When the Caribbean Sea surrounds the mountain mass and the weather is clear, sunlight falls on the azure sea, and the peaks reflect the blue radiance refracted by the seawater, which is why Blue Mountain therefore got its name. The main peak of the Blue Mountains stands at 2,256 meters above sea level, the highest peak in the Caribbean region, and is also a famous tourist destination.

This region lies on a seismic belt, with fertile volcanic soil, clean and pollution-free air, a humid climate, and fog and rain throughout the year. The average annual rainfall is about 1,980 millimeters, and the temperature remains around 27 degrees Celsius. It is precisely such natural conditions that nurture the world-renowned Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee and also make it the second most expensive coffee in the world, second only to Kopi Luwak.

The Characteristics of Front Street Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee

Front Street Blue Mountain coffee beans are quite outstanding in quality. Judging by appearance, every bean is plump, uniform, and large, which is extremely beneficial for the roasting stage. Taking Front Street's Front Street washed Blue Mountain coffee as an example, the roasted Blue Mountain beans are uniform in color and carry a distinct aroma of toasted bread and roasted almonds. The mouthfeel is rich and full-bodied, with sweetness, acidity, and bitterness balanced just right; on the palate it is neither sour nor bitter, making for a very comfortable drinking experience.

Such quality can be traced back to the coffee revival plan implemented by the Jamaican government in the 1950s. In 1950, the Jamaican government established the Jamaica Coffee Industry Board, which set coffee quality standards and supervised their enforcement to guarantee the quality of Jamaican coffee. The board issues specially made official seals for green beans and roasted beans exported from Jamaica, and uses Japanese loans to improve production quality, thereby maintaining market order.

In terms of cultivation, Jamaica grows the pure Typica variety introduced in the 18th century. As an island nation, Jamaica had limited contact with the outside world, and thus fortunately avoided the coffee leaf rust that swept the globe in the 19th century, allowing local Typica coffee trees to survive. In terms of processing, Jamaica was one of the earliest producing regions to adopt the washed method, which can significantly improve coffee quality, and this is also an important reason why Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee beans are of such excellent quality.

Because Japan invested in Jamaica's coffee industry for a long time, most Blue Mountain coffee beans were controlled by Japanese interests, and Japan also obtained priority purchasing rights for Blue Mountain beans. In 1992, Jamaica sold 688 tons of Blue Mountain coffee to Japan, 75 tons to the United States, and 59 tons to the United Kingdom. For a time, the market saw the situation that "90 percent of Blue Mountain coffee beans are monopolized by Japan, while other regions can only get 10 percent," so regardless of price, Blue Mountain coffee has always been in short supply. For Japanese people, their love of Blue Mountain borders on fanaticism; even on Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee farms, traces of Japan's UCC can be seen everywhere.

After the contracts between the two sides expired, it coincided with the global economic crisis. Japan's economy was sluggish and its purchasing power declined, and Jamaican coffee farmers were unwilling to continue being monopolized by Japanese merchants, so they sharply raised the price of green coffee beans. At present, the amount of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee purchased by Japan has dropped from the original 90 percent to less than 60 percent. In an era when coffee culture is flourishing, our country is already able to import Blue Mountain coffee beans directly from Jamaica.

How to Identify Real and Fake Blue Mountain Coffee Beans?

Blue Mountain coffee holds an extremely high status in the coffee world, so a large number of counterfeit Blue Mountain-style coffees have emerged on the market. You may have drunk Blue Mountain coffee, but true Blue Mountain coffee is actually not easy to identify.

Front Street concludes that fake Blue Mountain on the market generally falls into two categories. The first is name borderline products. These coffees are often labeled "Blue Mountain flavor coffee," "Blue Mountain blend coffee," "Blue Mountain mixed coffee," and so on. Seeing such names basically allows one to judge them as fake Blue Mountain, usually passed off using coffee beans from Brazil, Colombia, or Indonesia. The second category is真正的 fake goods, using coffee beans from non-Blue Mountain producing regions to impersonate Blue Mountain coffee beans. Strictly according to CIB standards, only coffee grown above 910 meters (3,000 feet) in elevation can be called Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, and it must be centrally purchased and processed by the 4 legally designated estates certified by the Jamaica Coffee Industry Board (CIB) before it can be called Blue Mountain coffee beans. Even worse is passing off other coffee beans as Blue Mountain beans; a lesser offense is passing off Jamaican coffee from outside the Blue Mountain core area as Blue Mountain beans. In such cases, it is necessary to check the certification.

The following expands on three major points: export companies designated by the national coffee board, the only producing region that packs green beans in barrels, and authorization certificate certification.

1. True Blue Mountain coffee is exported by export companies designated by the national coffee board.

Some genuine Blue Mountain NO.1 on the Chinese market is mainly exported to China by Japan, Australia, and Europe through directly operated branches. In 2013, according to statistics from the International Coffee Association (ICO), Japan accounted for 85 percent of the allocation, while the United States, Europe, and other countries each accounted for 5 percent.

ICO statistics show that China accounts for 15 percent of Blue Mountain coffee consumption. It is worth noting that the limited Blue Mountain NO.1 is mostly allocated to Japan, the United States, and Europe, and because Japan has invested in Jamaica's coffee industry, most Blue Mountain coffee is bought up by Japan. In 1992, Jamaica sold 688 tons of Blue Mountain coffee to Japan, 75 tons to the United States, and only 59 tons to the United Kingdom.

In 2005, Jamaica's Minister of Agriculture announced that Blue Mountain coffee should be roasted within Jamaica. Subsequently, through quota allocation, it tended to circulate directly from Jamaica to consuming countries, and this allocation system was recognized by the Jamaica Coffee Board (CIB). (Note: CIB board members are served by Jamaican estate owners above a certain scale.)

In addition, the officially registered logo of the Jamaica Coffee Board is used for certification inspection of exported Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, and the BLUEMOUNTAINCOFFEE trademark is the mark on the outer packaging of authentic Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee.

By 2022, our country had established large-share direct trade with Jamaica. For example, most of the Blue Mountain coffee beans from Clifton Farm and Silver Hill Estate are shipped to our country. Therefore, if the coffee introduction states that it is produced by these estates, its credibility is greatly increased.

2. True Blue Mountain coffee is the only producing region that packs green beans in barrels.

Blue Mountain coffee is so far the only producing region among all coffees that uses barrels to hold green beans; other coffee exports all use burlap sacks. During the British colonial period in the mid-18th century, after the flour shipped from Britain to Jamaica was used up, the empty barrels were recycled to transport coffee and rum in order to isolate the coffee aroma and ensure coffee quality. The wood used in today's barrels all comes from temperate forests in the United States.

3. Certificate Certification

(1) Quality certificate issued by the Jamaica Coffee Board (2) Authorized sales certificate issued by Blue Mountain coffee producers (Blue Mountain coffee is distributed by 4 processing producers licensed by the Jamaican government, and exported by 16 licensed exporters) (3) Certificate of origin for Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee

Taking FrontStreet Coffee as an example, Front Street holds an authorized sales certificate issued by a Blue Mountain coffee producer. If consumers want to judge whether it is truly Blue Mountain coffee, they can ask the seller whether there is an original barrel, certificate, and other proof.

Why does Front Street use Blue Mountain coffee from Clifton Farm?

Clifton Estate is the oldest coffee estate in Jamaica and the only farm in Jamaica with the "(RFA) Rainforest Water Frog" mark.

Only those meeting the "Sustainable Agricultural System Standards" can obtain this certification, and its barrels are printed with the rainforest certification mark.

In addition, the Jamaica Coffee Board (CIB) authorizes the 4 legally designated coffee estates Wallenford, Jablum, Silver Hill, and Moy Hall to centrally process Blue Mountain coffee beans, and the outer packaging of all Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee will indicate the name of the processing estate. Mavis Bank Coffee Factory, established in 1923, is the largest estate for Blue Mountain coffee, and its barrels are printed with M.B.C.F. At the same time, Clifton Farm's Blue Mountain coffee beans were also among the earliest batch imported into mainland China.

Blue Mountain Coffee Price

Many friends know that Blue Mountain coffee is precious, but are unclear about its actual selling price. In fact, Blue Mountain coffee is indeed much more expensive than ordinary coffee beans, but in today's "Geisha era," the price of Blue Mountain coffee beans is still reasonable.

Taking the retail price of FrontStreet Coffee as an example, the roasted bean price of Front Street Jamaican Blue Mountain No.1 coffee beans is 158 yuan/100g, even cheaper than Geisha coffee beans from famous estates today. Everyone can place orders at the Front Street flagship store or Front Street Taobao store. If you want to drink a cup of Front Street Blue Mountain pour-over coffee in a coffee shop, it costs only 60 yuan.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.